How is air quality impacted?

When present in the shallowest groundwater, contaminants like
TCE can potentially evaporate and move through soil as vapor through a process called vapor intrusion. These vapors can enter nearby buildings through cracks or other openings in the foundation and potentially impact indoor air quality.

Vapor intrusion depends on a variety of factors, including:

Level of contamination at the water table

Building foundation

Building ventilation

Soil conditions

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How is air quality tested?

Air quality can be tested in several ways:

Collecting samples in homes or businesses overlying contaminated shallow groundwater to determine if vapors have migrated into indoor air.

Testing the air between soil particles overlying contaminated shallow groundwater to determine if vapors are present in the soil air and could potentially migrate to the air above.

Testing the air above surface water (such as the Chicago Avenue ditch) on warm, calm days to determine if vapors have migrated into outdoor air.

For more information about air quality studies and results, visit the
Results page.